Double offtake for coking retorts



-May 5, 1931. J. VAN ACKERN DOU-BLE OFFTAKE FOR COKING RETORTS 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. l2, 1925 ATTORNEYS.

May 5, 1931. J. VAN AcKER-EN DOUBLE OFFTAKE FOR COKING RETORTS '5 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12, 1925 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

`May 5, l931.-

DOUBLE OFFTAKE FOR COKING HETORTSA Filed Jan- 12, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 A TTORNEYS.

J. VAN AcKERl-:N 1,803,881

May 5, 1931.

J. VAN ACKEREN DOUBLE OFFTAKE FOR COKING RETORTS Filed Jan. 12

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

May 5, 1931. J. VAN AcKl-:REN

DOUBLE OFFTAKE FOR GOKING RETORTS Filed Janl2, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 mmm mm mm @mmm A TTORNEYS.

Patented May 5, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE JOSEPH VAN ACKEREN', OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB. T0 TEE KOPPERS COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA DOUBLE OFFTARE FOR COKING RETORTS application mea January 12, 1925. seal no. 1,718.

This invention relates broadly to improvements in the heat treating art and more particularly to improvements in means and methods for the descharge of distillation products from carbonizing plants and the like, such, for instance, as the by-product vertical coking retort battery disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 684,342, filed January 4. 1924.

The gases taken o the fresh coal in the upper regions of the coking chambers of such batteries are very. rich, or high in B. t. u. value, whereas the gases which are generated in the lower regions of the coln'ng chambers, principally7 by the action of steam on coke, are lean, or low in B. t. u. value. Economy of operation requires that both the rich and the lean gases be saved and it has heretofore been the usual practice to take off both of these gases into a common main.

Since in coking retorts, particularly those of the continuous vertical type exemplified in my aforementioned application, there is an extensive region'near/ the top in which the coal becomes pasty and obstructs the passage of the hot lean gases from below, it has heretofore been a practice to pass these gases through vertical passages in the chamber wallaconnected with the oiftakes for the rich gases above, the rich gases being in part decomposed by the high heat imparted to the mixtureby the lean gases resulting in the lowering of the B. t. u. value of the mixture, the tar present also being in part decomposed causing formation of carbon and pitch and so obstructing the passageways for the gas. Since` most municipalities in this country require that the gas sold to the public be of a relatively high B. t. u. value, by-product vertical retorts have not become common commercial practice here although they have found a more extensive use abroad where the requirement as to B. t. u. value of the gas is less severe.

The aforementioned diiculties are essentially overcome and the use of vertical retorts yielding a gas mixture of the desired B. t. u. value rendered commercially practicable by my invention which involves broadly means and methods for separating the rich and lean gases to prevent the decomposition of the richer gases and to remove i.

the tar and other foreign matter therefrom substantially without the formation of the objectionable carbon and sticky pitch and for subsequently mixing the rich and lean gases in the proportions necessary to give the desired B. t. u value to the mixture while separately collecting the remainder ofthe lean gas, if any, and the precipitate from both the rich and the 'lean gas for special uses, or, if desired, separately collecting the rich and lean gases in their entireties.

As a specific embodiment of my generic invention I may employ an upper gas otftake preferably provided with a cooling agency such as a liquid spray device, a lower gas oftake definitely located below the region of pasty material in the retort chamber, a ledge l preferably being formed in the chamber wall and the walls thereabove being tapered inwardly to facilitate the accumulation of gas, and a stand pipe exterior of the retort structure' communicating'with both-of said olftakes. The stand pipe may also communicate at its top with a gas collecting main and at its bottom with a second gas and flushing liquor collecting main. Other cooling devices may, if desired,-be provided, as for instance, a reverse steam nozzle or the like, in the lower oiftake designed to cool the same and prevent undue expansion of the oftake pipe and disruption of the wall structure. An

additional cooling-agency, such as a spray may be located in the upper gas collecting main above the opening between the latter and the stand pipe. I also preferably pro'- vide in the stand pipe, a regulating device such as a butterfly valve between the upper gas main and upper gas offtake and a pivoted liquid seal valve between the gas otftakes,

which in raised position permits the passage of the flushing liquor but-prevents the pasin the processes and apparatuses hereinafter describedy or claimed.

While, as a specific embodiment, I have disclosed the principles involved in my invention -as applied to a vertical coking retort oven it ,will be obvious to those skilled in the art that they are applicable to ovens of other` types or to other heat treating apparatus. A In the accompanfyingdisclosure forming a part of this speci cation and showing, for purposes of exempliication, a preferred form and manner in which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but without limiting the claimed invention specifically to such illustrative instance or instances:

Figure 1 is a sectional view in a vertical plane transverse of the battery throqgh. ya heating chamber showing certain details in elevation and the ilues of a heating wall in dotted lines. v v s Fig; 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fi 4 and 5 showing a portion of a coking cham er and thel ascension or stand pipe arrangement for taking off the gases there` Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 transverse of the coking chambers and heating walls showing the relation of the lower gas oitake to the coking chamber'wall. Fig. 4 is a front elevation viewed from the line 4 4 of-Fig. 2 showing the arrangement of stand or ascension pipes, and upper and lower collecting mains. Y Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of thebattery, gas collecting main and ascension pipes viewed from the line 5 Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectiona view on the line 6'-6 of Fig. 2, viewed from above, through the battery and the lower gas oftalie. 40 The same ,characters of reference desigv nate the same parts in each of the several views.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention there is shown a coking chamber 11 alternating with heating walls 12, the sides of the oven being tapered inwardly towards the top as shown at 13 to facilitate the feeding of coal and also` the taking off the gas at the base of the tapered portion. The outer `ends of the respective coking chambers and heating walls are closed by the refractory wall structure 15. The heating walls comprise upper and lower ued portions 37 and 38 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, communicating through suitable ,passageways with the regenerators 45, as more articularly described in my copending-app 'cation above referred to. The battery is provided with a top 39. There-1s also provided a coke extractor 66 and regenerator reversing mechanism 67. e v There provided at the top of the cokmg chambers coal feed hoppers 70, preferably of cast metal, having tops 71 and bases 72, each of the'latter` being provided with a series of Y 35 openings whose peripheries constitute seats upon which rest flanges formed at the top of feed pipes 73, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 3. The feed pipes thus admit a ready removal for cleaning and repair. Located between the feed pipes are guides 74 for the coal, of inverted VV shape, and containing a passageway 75 to permit ventilation and cooling of the hopper. Between the several feed pipes are spaces 76 for the accumulation of gas. These spaces are connected to each other and'to a gas pocket or offset space 77 leading to the upper gas oftake by passageways 78.- Above eachv gasv space 77 is seated a gas ofi'take nozzle 79 cast integral with the hopper base 72.

The gas oftake apparatus comprises the spectively, the former being connected to the gas offtake nozzle 79 in the hopper base at the extreme top of the coking chamber and the latter being connected with the coking chamber beneath a ledge 82 at the lower ends of the inclined walls 13 ofthe chamber to facilitate the accumulation and taking off of the gas. The upper and lower gas oiftakes are connected with each other and with the upper gas collecting main 83 and the lower liquor and gas collecting main, 84 by the stand pipe which may consist of several sections 85, 86, 87, 88 and 89; the sections 85 and 88` being preferably cast integral with sections of the upper and lower oftakes respectively. I prefer to provide the upper oftake with an inverted elbow pipe section 90 seated at one end in the offtake nozzle -79 on the hopper base and connected at its -other end to the extension from the pipe section 85, and I may provide.

through the elbow of this pipe section tubes 91 carrying at their inner ends liquid spray nozzles 911L positioned .to direct the spray down the outer leg of the elbow section. The

, offtake may also be provided at the apex of the elbow with a removable cover 92 to permit cleaning and inspection. In the pipe section 85, just above its connection with the upper offtake, is provided a butterfly valve 93 which permits the ltotal sliuttin off of the gas collectingmain 83 from the o take when it is desired to clean vthe latter, orfthe partial shutting oif'of the gas main for regulagas oitake 81 and provided at its end adjav lupper and lower oiftake pipes 80 and 81 recent the coking chamber Awith a reversing Y nozzle 951'. This tube may be'conveniently ,supported in the front wall of the stand pipe section 88 and by a support 96 secured to the extension therefrom forming a part of the lower gas olftake. At a point in this extension adjacent the stand pipe I preferably form a lip or baille 97 to prevent flow of the spray liquid from above passing into the retort chamber through the lower olftake.

In the stand pipe section 87 I prefer to provide a liquid valve comprising the inverted conical member 98 and the pivoted vessel member 99 of larger cross-sectional area than the base of the conical member. An operating handle 100 is provided exterior of the stand pipe for operating said pivoted vessel member, being connected thereto through its pivot. Inspection openings 101 may be provided in the stand pipe sections 87 and 88.

In the stand pipe section 89, I also prefer to provide a liquid seal valve 10Q-103, similar to the liquid seal valve 98-99, having an operating handle 104 exterior of the stand pipe. Convenient inspection openings 101 may also be provided in this section.

My apparatus may be operated to effectvarious results. F or instance-the gas taken off from each off-take may be mixed as a whole to give a resultant mixture or the gases may be collected separately or a regulated quant-ity of the leaner gas from the lower offtake may be mixed with the richer gases taken ott' from the upper oftake, the rest of the leaner gas being taken off separately.

Then it is desired to mix all of the gases from the respective oftakes, the liquid seal valve 10Q-103 is closed and the liquid seal valve 98-99 is opened. The rich gases from the upper oft take and the leaner gases from the lower offtake 81 will then commingle within the pipe section and pass into the gas collect-ing main 83. The gas from the up- .per oiftake will be washed by the liquid spray device 911 which will remove the tarry and kindred substances therefrom and the drain liquor will thereupon pass down the stand pipe and overflow the liquid seal valve 102- 103 and pass into the liquor drain and collecting main 84. This spray device elfects Athe cooling of the gases from both oitakes and prevents the decomposition of the rich gases b v heat and the objectionable precipitation of pitch, the formation ofwhich would otherwise tend to clog the piping system. The reverse steam nozzle 951 projects a column of steam outwardly through the oltake pipe 81 preventing its undue expansion and consequent disruption of the wall structure. This steam is subsequently condensed in the stand pipe, this operation being facilitated and the further purification of the gases being affected by the downwardly directed spray 94 in the upper gas collecting main. j

When it is desired to regulate the quantity of lean gas from the lower oltake to be mixed with the richer gases from the upper ottake, the lower valve 102-103 is opened permitting the excess lean gas from the lower olftake to pass with the flushing liquor into the lower collecting main 84 and the quantity passing upward and mixing with the richer gases from the upper olftake may be regulated by manipulation of the butterly'valve 93 and the control of the relative pressures in the collecting mains 83 and 84.

lVhen it is desired to take the gases off separately, the valve 98-99 is closed, the valve 10Q-103 remaining open. The rich gases from the upper offtake will then pass to the upper gas collecting main 83 while the leaner gases from the lower offtake will pass with the fluid residue into the lower collecting main 84 and hence after further purification conveyed to the heating flues or other points where it may be utilized.

The invention as hereinabove set forth or exemplied may be variously practiced or embodied within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

I claim: 1. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a coking chamber; an upper gas offtake leading therefrom; a gas collecting main a standpipe connected at its upper end with said -ol'take and said main; a lower gas otl'take leading from said chamber at a point below the point of communication of the upper gas oftake with said chamber and alsovconnected with said standpipe at a point' intermediate the ends thereof and spaced from the upper end thereof and communicating through said standpipeY with said gas main so that gas from the lower offtake may pass upwardly by the upper offtake' and thence with gases therefrom to said main; means adapted for discharging liquid gas purifying medium into said standpipe so that said medium will pass therethrough from below the point of communication of the upper oitake therewith past the point of communication of the lower otftake with the standpipe and thereby may treat, in said standpipe, gas that may-pass therein from said lower o'take by said upper offtake before said gas reaches.

said upper ofl'take; and a seal for said standpipe disposed below the points of communicatlon of both of the offtakes with said standpipe and adjustable to permit either the medium and precipitates alone, or both the medium and precipitates and gas to pass therea coking chamber; a gas oitake leading therefrom; a second gas offtake leadin from said chamber at a point below the pomt of communication of the yir'st mentioned offtake with said chamber; and a duct connection communicablyconnecting the second mentioned offtake with the first mentioned oiftake and arranged between said oftakes exteriorly of said retort oven; means adapted for supplying a gas purifying liquid medium to the vduct connection between said oiftakes so that such medium will traverse first the point of communication of the first mentioned ofi'take with the duct connection,then the duct connection and then the point of communication of the second mentioned oii'take with the duct connection and a seal disposed within the duct connection between the points of communication of the offtakes with said duct connection and adapted for passage of the gas purifying medium and precipitates from the first mentioned ofl'take to the second mentioned oitake while preventing passage of gas from one oitake to the other through'said duct connection.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 in which the seal is capable of two adjustments;

in one of which it permits the medium and precipitates alone to pass` and in the other of which it permits free passage of the medium and precipitates and also permits free passage of the gas from one to the other of the gas o'takes.

5. In a vertical coking retort oven, in combination: a vertical coking chamber; an upper gas offtake leading therefrom at a point adjacent the top thereof; a, gas collecting main'located exteriorly of said retort oven and communicably connected with said offtake'; a lower gas oiitake leading from said chamber at a point below the point of communication of said upper gas ofltake with said chamber; a duct connection arranged exterior to and separate from the retort oven and communicably connecting the lower gas offtake with the upper gas o'take so as to communica'bly connectthelower gas oitake with said main; and means for injecting a cooling liquid into said duct connection and adapted foreffecting cooling of gas in the,v

duct connection 'between the upper offtake and the lower oitake and'thereby cool gases that may pass through the ductconnection from said lower offtake to the'upper ofi'take,

to prevent decomposition of rich gases taken.

off by the upper offtake by heat of gas from the lower oitake.

6. In a vertical coking retort oven, in combination: a vertical coking chamber; an upper gas oftake leading therefrom at a point adjacent the top thereof; av gas collecting main located exteriorly ofLsaid retort oven decomposition of rich gases taken -oif by the yend of said o'take conduit to receive gas therefrom; and a feed pipe extending inwardly axially of the ofi'take conduit and provided with a reversing nozzle adj acent' its inner end for discharging cooling fluid against the portion of the conduit adjacent the refractory material andoutwardly to said standpipe.

8. In a coking retort oven, in combination:

a coking chamber; a standpipe; liquid injecting meanssfor injecting liquid thereinto; and a gas offtake extending upwardly and outwardly Vat an angle to the vertical and to the horizontal, from said chamber and connecting said chamber with said vstandpipe below the means for injecting'liquid therein; said offtake being provided with means for preventing -liquid Vfrom said liquidl injecting means from draining. from said standpipe through said oftake into said chamber.

9. In a coking retort oven, in combination: i

'a coking chamberfa standpipe; a discharge pipe communicating with and leading downwardly from said chamber to an intermediate point in said standpipe; a gas main communica-bly connected with said standpipe at a point above the point 'of communication of the discharge pipe with the standpipe a collection means for liquid from said standpipe; and a liquid valve in said standpipe at a point below the junction ofthe discharge pipe therewith for permitting continuous down- Ilm ward ow of gas purifying liquid through I said standpipe separately fro/m said gas main to said collection means. I

10..In a coking retort oven, in combination: a coking chamber; a standpipe; a discharge pipe communicating with and leading 4downwardly from said chamber to an munication of the discharge pipe with the standpipe a collection means for liquid from said standpipe; and a liquid valve in said standpipe at a point below the junction of the discharge pipe therewith for permitting con.

tinuous downward flow of gas purifying liquid through said standpipe separately from said gas main to said collection means while preventing that of gas; said valve being adjustable to also permit the iow of gas.

11. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a coking chamber; upper gas-otake means for taking off' gas from the top of said chamber; lower gas-otake means for taking oi gas at a lower level from said chamber the upper otake means and the lower oiftake means being communicably connected with each other by duct means arranged exteriorly of said oven for passage of gas from one to the other of said gas ofttake means; gas collecting means for collecting and mixing gases from both of the oitake means in predetermined proportion; and means for reducing in the duct means, between the u per otake means and the lower oft'ta e means, the temperature of gas from one of the o'take means, whereby to prevent decomposition in the duct means of cooler gas from one of the otakes by hotter gas from the other otake.

In Witness whereof, I have'hereunto set my JOSEPH VAN ACKEREN.

` hand. 

